Data Center Affinity Of Virtual Machines In A Cloud Computing Environment

1 . A method of administration of virtual machine affinity among data centers in a cloud computing environment, the cloud computing environment comprising a plurality of virtual machines (‘VMs’), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers, the cloud computing environment further comprising a cloud operating system and data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs, the method comprising:

installing, by the cloud operating system on at least one VM, an indicator that at least two of the VMs have an affinity requirement to be installed upon cloud computers in separate data centers;

communicating, by at least one of the VMs, the affinity requirement to at least one data center administration server; and

moving by the at least one data center administration server the VMs having the affinity requirement to cloud computers in separate data centers in the cloud computing environment.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine, the method further comprising:

receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of VMs, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and affinity requirements; and

deploying, by the deployment engine, VMs in the cloud computing environment in accordance with the received user specifications.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein installing an indicator further comprises installing data communications network addresses of the VMs having the affinity requirement.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein installing an indicator further comprises installing unique identifiers of the VMs having the affinity requirements.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from at least one of the VMs having an affinity requirement to its VM agent; and

communicating the affinity requirement to the VM manager from at least one of the VM agents of the VMs having an affinity requirement.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

installing an indicator further comprises installing an affinity manager, the affinity manager comprising a further module of automated computing machinery; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from the affinity manager to the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager; and

communicating the affinity requirement from the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager to the VM manager.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

installing the indicator further comprises installing the indicator on only one VM; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises communicating the affinity requirement from only the one VM to the at least one data center administration server.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

installing the indicator further comprises installing the indicator on all of the VMs having an affinity requirement; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises communicating the affinity requirement from all of the VMs having an affinity requirement to the at least one data center administration server.

Apparatus for administration of virtual machine affinity among data centers in a cloud computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of virtual machines (‘VMs’), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers;

a cloud operating system;

data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs,

at least one computer processor; and

a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions which when executed cause the apparatus to function by:

installing, by the cloud operating system on at least one VM, an indicator that at least two of the VMs have an affinity requirement to be installed upon cloud computers in separate data centers;

communicating, by at least one of the VMs, the affinity requirement to at least one data center administration server; and

moving by the at least one data center administration server the VMs having the affinity requirement to cloud computers in separate data centers in the cloud computing environment.

9 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine, the computer program instructions further

causing the apparatus to function by:

receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of VMs, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and affinity requirements; and

deploying, by the deployment engine, VMs in the cloud computing environment in accordance with the received user specifications.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein installing an indicator further comprises installing data communications network addresses of the VMs having the affinity requirement.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein installing an indicator further comprises installing unique identifiers of the VMs having the affinity requirements.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from at least one of the VMs having

an affinity requirement to its VM agent; and

communicating the affinity requirement to the VM manager from at least one of the VM agents of the VMs having an affinity requirement.

13 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

installing an indicator further comprises installing an affinity manager, the affinity manager comprising a further module of automated computing machinery; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from the affinity manager to the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager; and

communicating the affinity requirement from the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager to the VM manager.

14 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

installing the indicator further comprises installing the indicator on only one VM; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises communicating the affinity requirement from only the one VM to the at least one data center administration server.

15 . The apparatus of claim 9 wherein:

installing the indicator further comprises installing the indicator on all of the VMs having an affinity requirement; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises communicating the affinity requirement from all of the VMs having an affinity requirement to the at least one data center administration server.

16 . A computer program product for administration of virtual machine affinity among data centers in a cloud computing environment, the cloud computing environment comprising a plurality of virtual machines (‘VMs’), the VMs comprising modules of automated computing machinery installed upon cloud computers disposed within data centers, a cloud operating system, data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions which when executed cause the VMs and computers in the cloud computing environment to function by:

installing, by the cloud operating system on at least one VM, an indicator that at least two of the VMs have an affinity requirement to be installed upon cloud computers in separate data centers;

communicating, by at least one of the VMs, the affinity requirement to at least one data center administration server; and

moving by the at least one data center administration server the VMs having the affinity requirement to cloud computers in separate data centers in the cloud computing environment.

17 . The computer program product of claim 17 wherein the cloud operating system comprises a module of automated computing machinery, further comprising a self service portal and a deployment engine, the computer program instructions further causing the VMs and computers in the cloud computing environment to function by:

receiving, through a user interface exposed by the self service portal, user specifications of VMs, the user specifications including specifications of computer processors, random access memory, hard disk storage, input/output resources, application programs, and affinity requirements; and

deploying, by the deployment engine, VMs in the cloud computing environment in accordance with the received user specifications.

18 . The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from at least one of the VMs having an affinity requirement to its VM agent; and

communicating the affinity requirement to the VM manager from at least one of the VM agents of the VMs having an affinity requirement.

19 . The computer program product of claim 17 wherein:

the data center administration servers operably coupled to the VMs further comprises at least one data center administration server operably coupled to the VMs through a VM manager implemented as a module of automated computing machinery on a data center administration server and VM agents that are implemented as modules of automated computing machinery in the VMs, the VM manager comprising administrative functions that communicate with the VM agents on the VMs to configure the VMs in the cloud computing environment; and

installing an indicator further comprises installing an affinity manager, the affinity manager comprising a further module of automated computing machinery; and

communicating the affinity requirement further comprises:

communicating the affinity requirement from the affinity manager to the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager; and

communicating the affinity requirement from the VM agent on the same VM with the affinity manager to the VM manager.